Community

Modern universities are dynamic organisations which make a huge contribution to the regional and national economy. The University of Exeter, for example, directly and indirectly employs nearly 5,000 people. It pumps £250m a year into the local economy, and has a turnover in excess of £200m.

The University intends that all its activities should have a positive impact on its stakeholders and should improve the quality of the living, studying and working environment of its staff and students.

In order to help us explain how we link with our local communities, we have produced a Corporate Responsibility Brochure (.pdf) which gives examples of what we do together.

We also have a dedicated Community Liaison Officer and Student Warden Scheme and you can find out more about what they do and how they can help on our Business and Community webpages.

Some examples of how we work together in our community include:

• Volunteering - Student volunteers devote more than 100,000 hours a year to activities that benefit the local community: this is the equivalent of 70 full-time voluntary sector workers.
• Partnership - Exeter was voted University of the Year 2007/08 in the Times Higher Education awards. The judges were impressed by the range and extent of Exeter’s partnerships, which had enabled it to deliver projects like the Peninsula Medical School.
• The Arts - The Exeter Northcott Theatre re-opened after a £2.1m refurbishment and expansion programme. The University was one of the principal partners alongside the City and County Councils. The University donated £300k towards the refurbishment and provides ongoing staff time in the form of Trustees.
• Encouraging Innovation - Phase 2 of the £10m Innovation Centre has tripled the available space for start-up high-tech businesses. It also achieved the environmental gold standard, a BREAM Excellent rating. The Innovation Centre will link to the new Science Park which is due to open in 2011/12.
• International research - The University has a strategic partnership with the Met Office which aims to develop the science behind Climate Change and Sustainable Futures. The University’s research spans the effects of carbon loss from the land on global warming, extreme weather and weather forecasting: other researchers are looking at renewable energy and attitudes to recycling.
• Keeping it local - The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry’s research is helping local hospitals to recruit higher quality clinical staff. World-leading research in areas such as diabetes has helped improve local patient care and received national recognition including the Queen’s Anniversary Prize.
• Keeping healthy - The University and partners (including Exeter City Council) have invested over £8m in Exeter Sport on our two campuses in Exeter. Many of the facilities at the Sports Park are unique to Exeter and now rank in the top 10 in the UK. All are open to students, staff, families, local sports clubs and members of the general public.

Read more about our future plans in the Community Engagement Strategy and  Community Engagement Summary (.pdf).